Concepcion, Jaymerose Heart T.

BSED-IIIA

APPROACHES TO LITERARY CRITICISM

by saliric andres

Approaches to Literary Criticism

The work itself (literary piece) is in the center of the map because all approaches must deal, to some
extent or another, with the text itself. To critique a piece of work, one must read first the text. After
which, one may utilize any of the following literary approaches below:

Formalist criticism is placed at the center because it deals primarily with the text and not with any of
the outside considerations such as author, the real world, audience, or other literature. Meaning,
formalists argue, is inherent in the text. Because meaning is determinant, all other considerations are
irrelevant.

Deconstructionist criticism also subject texts to careful, formal analysis; however, they reach an
opposite conclusion: there is no meaning in language. They believe that a piece of writing does not have
one meaning and the meaning itself is dependent on the reader.

Historical criticism relies heavily on the author and his world. In the historical view, it is important to
understand the author and his world in order to understand his intent and to make sense of his work. In
this view, the work is informed by the author’s beliefs, prejudices, time, and history, and to fully
understand the work, we must understand the author and his age.

Inter-textual criticism is concerned with comparing the work in question to other literature, to get a
broader picture. One may compare a piece of work to another of the same author, same literary
movement or same historical background.

Reader-response criticism is concerned with how the work is viewed by the audience. In this approach,
the reader creates meaning, not the author or the work. Once the work is published, the author is no
longer relevant

Mimetic criticism seeks to see how well a work accords with the real world. How does a piece of
literature accurately portrays the truth is the main contention of this literary approach.

Psychological criticism attempts to explain the behavioral underpinnings of the characters within the
selection, analyzing the actions and thoughts committed fall under any of the identifiable neuroses,
whether a psychological disorder is evident among them. Aside from the characters, the author and
even the reader may be criticized as why they exhibit certain behavior during the actual writing and
reading experience.

Archetypal criticism assumes that there is a collection of symbols, images, characters, and motifs (i.e.
archetypes) that evokes basically the same response in all people which seem to bind all people
regardless of culture and race worldwide. This can also be labelled as Mythological and Symbolic
criticisms. Their critics identify these archetypal patterns and discuss how they function in the works.

Marxist criticism concerns with the analysis of the clash of opposing social classes in society, namely;
the ruling class (bourgeoisie) and the working class (proletariat) as it shaped the events that transpired
in the story.

Feminist criticism concerns with the woman’s role in society as portrayed through texts. It typically
analyzes the plight of woman as depicted in the story. Generally, it criticizes the notion of woman as a
construct through literature.
Concepcion, Jaymerose Heart T.

BGSED-IIIA

Literary Approaches

Literary approaches are the methods, techniques, and choices that a writer uses to create a literary
work. Every time a writer sets down to work they choose everything about the tale or poem or song
they write.

Cultural Approach – considers literature as one of the principal manifestation and vehicles of a nation’s
or race’s culture and tradition.

It includes the entire complex of what goes under “culture”, the technological, the artistic, the
sociological, and ideological aspects, and considers the literary piece in the total culture milieu in which
it was born.

This approach in one of the richest way to arrive at the culture of the people and one of the most
pleasurable ways of appreciating the literature of the people. It goes by the dictum “culture teaching
through literature”

Formalistic Approach – also called “PURE” or “LITERARY” approach. The selection is read and viewed as
intrinsically, or for itself; independent of author, age or any other extrinsic factor.

This approach is close to the “arts for art’s sake” dictum.

The study of the selection is more or less based on the so-called literary elements which is more or less
boil down to the literal level, the affective values, the ideational values, technical values, and total
effects.

Moral and Humanistic Approach – The nature of man is CENTRAL to literature. The reader or teacher or
critic more or less “requires” that the piece present MAN AS ESSENTIALLY RATIONAL that is endowed
with intellect and free will; it that the piece does not misinterpret the true nature of man.

In these times of course, the TRUE NATURECOF MAN is hotly contested, making literature all the more
challenging. His approach is close to the “MORALITY” of literature, to the questions of ethical goodness
and badness.

Historical Approach – Sees literature as both a reflection and product of the time and circumstances in
which it was written. Man as a member of a particular society or nation at a particular time, is central to
the approach and whenever a teacher gives historical or biographical backgrounds in introducing a
selection or arranges a literature course in chronological order, he is hewing close to this approach.

Impressionistic Approach – Literature is viewed to elucidates “reacting- response” which is considered

as something very personal, relative and fruitful. Unconditioned by explanations and often taking the
impact of the piece as a whole, it seeks how the piece has communicated.
Psychological Approach - Set in dizzying motion, principally, by FREUD, perhaps beyond his wildest
expectations, it considers literature as the EXPRESSION OF PERSONALITY of “Inner Drives” of neurosis. It
includes the psychology of creation.

It has resulted in an almost exhausting and exhaustive “psychological Analysis” of the characters of
symbols and images, of recurrent themes, etc.

Sociological Approach – Literature is viewed as the expression of man within a given social situation
which is reduced to discussions on economic, in which men are simplistically divided into haves and
haves not, thus passing into the “proletarian approach” hitch tends to underscore the conflict between
the two classes. The sociological approach stresses on social “relevance, social “commitment”,
contemporaneity, and it deems communication with the reader important.

https://www.quora.com/What-are-literary-approaches

https://www.slideshare.net/JelmaPerico/literary-approaches-77285501